Physiotherapy for pain and injury in London
Diana Nyad swam 100 miles across a stretch of water between Cuba and Florida. She just kept going. The internal drive and the support that fuelled this drive kept her going in some of the most dangerous waters on the planet. Rehabilitation and recovery from an injury or painful problem requires dedicated perseverance. But to […]
Frequently patients tell me at the first meeting that they cannot do x, y and z. Naturally, when something hurts we avoid that activity or action because pain is unpleasant. It hurts physically and mentally. In the acute stages of an injury or condition, it is wise to be protective as this is a key […]
3 key points 1. Nothing happens in isolation. 2. We are designed to change, grow and develop. 3. Nothing is permanent. Bearing these fundamental points in mind, we seek to create and then cultivate the right conditions so that we may move forward in life. In terms of rehabilitation, we also look to create the […]
Both talks are inspiring and demonstrate courage, perseverance and motivation in the face of the enormous challenges that were presented. In performance and rehabilitation, mindset is a key determinant and in many cases several skills must be developed, including resilience and coping strategies. In the first video, Janine Shepherd talks about her experience of recovery […]
The rehabilitation journey following an injury must be traveled with full commitment and completed. Usually when we talk about rehabilitation, it is the exercises that are focused upon: the movement, the task, the goal and how much to do. Nothing wrong with this of course as the training parameters are important to understand the effects […]
As a physiotherapist I frequently use my hands to treat the joints and tissues. It comes with the territory, everyone expects hands-on therapy and it does helps to reduce tension and pain. Most likely, the pain relief from joint mobilisation is due to descending mechanisms that include those that are powered by serotonin and noradrenaline […]
Chronic pain is a real problem in the sporting world. The effects of not being able to participate are far reaching, especially when sport is your profession. There are a huge numbers of clinics offering treatments to deal with pain and injury and in many cases the problem improves. However, there are those who do […]
To the skier, the thought of watching friends and family clumping off in their boots towards the lift whilst sitting with a leg up, packed with ice and the daily paper, is intensely frustrating. Injuries happen. In many cases with the right early treatment, perhaps surgery and definitely a thorough rehabilitation programme, the symptoms resolve […]
Clifford Woolf recently said this about central sensitisation: Nociceptor inputs can trigger a prolonged but reversible increase in the excitability and synaptic efficacy of neurons in central nociceptive pathways, the phenomenon of central sensitization. Central sensitization manifests as pain hypersensitivity, particularly dynamic tactile allodynia, secondary punctate or pressure hyperalgesia, aftersensations, and enhanced temporal summation. It […]
Back pain is an enormous problem that impacts upon individuals and society. Most people will experience back pain at some point in their lifetime and a proportion will suffer continuing and recurring problems. Those who do continue to experience pain require effective treatment and strategies so that the impact and the distress that it can […]
We are familiar with the notion that the World is always changing. In fact, change is one of the few certainties in life that we can rely upon. However, change is only possible if there is someone present to experience how things are evolving, and that person is also changing. No two moments are the […]
This old joke springs to mind when I think about back pain. We can think simply about a door and create an image of how it appears but in fact a door consists of at least some of the following: a piece of wood (or another material), a handle, some hinges, a lock and a […]
Many chronic problems evolve slowly. The aches and pains become increasingly bothersome without any obvious injury as our biology gradually changes. Our bodies are surviving rather than flourishing, and this is because of both physical and mental strain. Recovery time is minimised as the protective systems remain ‘on’, disrupting our ability to think clearly, sleep, laugh, […]